Floating-point MCU operates at up to 210 °C

December 10, 2013 | 14:37

Floating-point MCU operates at up to 210 °C

Texas Instruments has launched a floating-point microcontroller (MCU) for operation under extreme temperature conditions from -55 °C to 210 °C, which it says is an industry first and exceeds the traditional 150 °C limit for high-temperature semiconductors devices. The SM320F28335-HT Delfino 32-bit ...

Texas Instruments has launched a floating-point microcontroller (MCU) for operation under extreme temperature conditions from -55 °C to 210 °C, which it says is an industry first and exceeds the traditional 150 °C limit for high-temperature semiconductors devices.

The SM320F28335-HT Delfino 32-bit MCU is targeted at high-reliability, high-performance, real-time measurement and control applications in harsh or hot environments, such as well drilling, commercial jet engines, motor control, military applications, and medical instruments and surgical tools requiring sterilization.

The MCU features an integrated 32-bit floating-point unit with 100 MHz CPU speed to provide six times higher performance for real-time measurement and control than existing high-temperature solutions. Other features include 512 KB of embedded flash memory and 68 KB internal RAM, integrated control-oriented peripherals for high precision, six high-resolution PWM outputs at 150 ps, and a high-speed 16-channel 12-bit ADC.

The MCU is based on TI’s TMS320C2000™ MCU platform, which combines control peripherals and embedded flash memory with a 32-bit floating-point architecture. A specified temperature range up to 210 °C eliminates the need for expensive up-screening and qualification tests of industrial grade MCUs, reducing design time for applications operating in harsh environments and cutting development time by up to one year. Packaging options such as a 181-pin ceramic PGA and Known Good Die (KGD) provide minimal form factors for space-constrained applications.

The TMS320F28335 Experimenter Kit, based on the commercial grade, code-compatible version of the F28335 Delfino MCU, is also immediately. The kit is priced at US$99.